The Georgia Swarm went big and went home a winner in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft. Georgia kicked things off with a blockbuster trade with the Calgary Roughnecks, swapping Jesse King and the No. 23 overall pick and Holden Cattoni and the No. 7 overall pick.
Saddled with the No. 7 overall selection following the trade, Georgia selected its first player in the draft, Syracuse standout Brendan Bomberry. Bomberry played collegiately for Syracuse University and Denver University. Between the two universities, the Osweken, Ontario native played in 55 games and posted 115 points (79G, 36A), collected 46 ground balls, and caused seven turnovers.
A member of the Mohawk Tribe, Bomberry has played for the Six Nations Arrows (Jr. A) and Chiefs (Sr. A) in Major Series Lacrosse. As a defenseman with the Chiefs in 2018, the 23-year-old played in 15 games and finished with 11 points (3G, 8A) before tacking on six assists in three postseason contests.
As if all of that wasn’t enough, Bomberry was a part of Team Iroquois in the FIL World Championship this summer in Israel. Bomberry helped his nation earn the bronze medal.
With so much lacrosse experience to draw upon, Bomberry can step into the Swarm’s roster and make an immediate impact. He has a lot of pride in his career and joining the Swarm, but Bomberry remains humble and is ready to contribute however best he can to help Georgia get another world championship, something he touched on with GeorgiaSwarm.com:
You’ve had a few days since the Draft to let everything sink in. How’s it feel to be selected?
It’s really exciting. There were a lot of guys there that I know and played with before. I’m excited to play with them again, first off, and then second off, the Swarm are always competing for a championship every year. I’m excited to be a part of that and hopefully help them achieve another one.
What did it mean to you to be selected by the Swarm?
It was awesome … Just to be selected is a huge honor in itself. To have a team like the Swarm take a chance on me was huge, and I’m definitely honored, can’t wait to get started.
Speaking of huge, the Swarm and Roughnecks made a huge trade to get the No. 7 pick to select you. Does that factor into your excitement, the huge trade Georgia made to get you on the team?
Yeah, definitely. That was really cool to see how they traded up to get that pick. It definitely shows their commitment to me. That was awesome to see, and I took a lot of pride in that. Hopefully I can contribute in any way possible and make the most of it.
Jumping to your collegiate career, you played for Denver and Syracuse. What did you learn about yourself between both schools?
In Denver, I kind of grew up a lot … I missed the last part of the season and obviously the national championship (due to academic ineligibility and his son, full story here). I learned a lot from guys on our team – guys like Wes Berg, Sean Cannizzaro, Carson Cannon, those kind of guys – who really helped me into the player I am today. They taught me a lot of things as a freshman, and I used that throughout my college career.
Getting to Syracuse, I was a little older coming into the team. They had already been together, and to come in and be a leader, I would say, with my age, I took pride in that, as well, being a leader on and off the field as best I could, just being the best teammate possible.
You recently competed with Team Iroquois in the FIL World Championships in Israel. What was that experience like and what did it mean to you to get the bronze?
Any time you can represent your people in a world championship is really special. I’ve been lucky to do that three times now, and every single time, it’s special. To go over to Israel and get a bronze was huge for us. It’s just kind of a stepping stone to get that gold eventually. That’s what we’re trying to work for. Playing against the best players in the world and with the best players in the world was a lot of fun, I learned a lot of things.
Jumping to box, you’ve been more of a defensive and transition player lately, right?
In junior, I played offense my whole junior career. It was basically until I got to senior. Once I graduated from there, the right side was kind of stacked, so I had to make the push to transition and defense to keep playing. So that’s what I did. It helped me learn a couple more things, and it definitely made me a better player, for sure, just to have that versatility on the floor.
What’s one or two things you learned with changing positions?
It’s just like different techniques and things offensive guys like to do, things I could use on offense that I know defensive guys are thinking. Having that mindset is a huge benefit. Also, pushing the ball in transition. I like to do that a lot. I’m basically going to play defense at some point, so I take pride in getting better at that. It helped me a lot.
What does it mean to you to be playing with so many star Native American players on the Swarm?
It’s awesome. Like I said, I played with a lot of those guys throughout my years, and to be teamed up again with them is awesome. You kind of have that familiarity with each other and are comfortable with each other. We’re really good friends. We talk to each other all the time, so we’re going to have that chemistry already. Hopefully it’ll carry onto the floor and we can have some success.
You were Team Captain with ‘Cuse your senior season, and it’s been well documented that John Arlotta drafts players with high character. What does it mean to you that he selected you for a team filled with those people?
It’s a huge honor. I take a lot of pride in being a captain, and I take a lot of pride in my character, as well. I just want to be the best person, best teammate possible, and try to help my teammates in any way I can no matter what, be a leader even if – despite my age as much as possible. Take in as many things as I can from those guys, and eventually it will be my turn to be in their shoes. I’m definitely going to learn a couple of things.
What’s your hope for yourself for the season?
Hopefully first and foremost just to make the team and find some playing time, step into whatever role they ask me to. I’m going to be ready for that and am ready to get going.
Season Tickets for the Swarm’s 2018-19 season are On Sale Now! Season Ticket packages include 10 games (nine regular season games and one postseason game) and a handful of VIP benefits. Join Sting City by reserving your membership today by calling 844-4-GASWARM.
